Who’s Playing Third Base? “I Don’t Know!”

Who knew that Abbott and Costello were decades ahead of their time in describing the A’s at the hot corner in 2025? There are several areas of need for the team I will continue to call Oakland because it’s still where they played their most recent home game, such as a true CFer who can shift JJ Bleday over to LF, and help for a bullpen overly reliant on volatile arms with poor minor league track records.

But nowhere is the need as pressing as at 3B and you have to think it will be an area of focus. The closest the A’s have to a future anchor at 3B is Max Muncy, but not only was his season curtailed by injuries he wasn’t played at 3B hardly ever so he is not going to be an option any time soon.

With the free agent market soft at the position and the A’s hardly in position to attract free agency’s finest anyway, here are some of the ideas available for consideration...

Yoan Moncada

Very talented and still only 29, Moncada is the kind of ‘high upside’ gamble the A’s could take and he should be affordable. Moncada’s 2024 season ended after just 12 games due to a left adductor strain and it’s worth noting that he was limited to 92 games due to lower back issues.

As a result, there is considerable “bust” risk with Moncada as he could wind up being injured much of the season or he could prove to be a shell of his former self — we saw that up close with another A’s 3Bman, Eric Chavez.

Perhaps Moncada is precisely the kind of risk the A’s should be taking with the revenue sharing bounty that aids their payroll. If he reverts back to being the Moncada of yore and can stay on the field, suddenly the A’s far from a weakness but actually a strength at 3B.

But I haven’t seen his medicals, nor do I know how active the bidding will be for his services. I hope the A’s are in touch, though.

Cubs Current & Future 3Bmen

One team that could be considered to have a logjam at 3B is the Chicago Cubs. They acquired Isaac Paredes mid-season and he turned in a solid campaign (.238/.346/.393, 117 wRC+). With a low K rate (17.4% career) and solid defense (about average overall), Paredes might be a good fit in Oakramento if the A’s have what the Cubs want in a trade package.

The reason the Cubs might be open to moving Paredes is that they have a top prospect on the way in Matt Shaw (ranked #1 on MLB pipeline). Shaw has played all around the infield, but has recently settled in at 3B and is knocking on the door.

Only 22, nonetheless Shaw advanced to AAA mid-season in 2024 and didn’t miss a beat, hitting .298/.395/.534 for Iowa in 35 games after batting .279/.373/.468 in 86 AA games. If the Cubs are ready to look at Shaw as their 3Bman of the future they might be willing to move Parades.

Or...

With the 25 year old Paredes not eligible for free agency until 2028, another route the Cubs could go is to trade Matt Shaw. Again it’s a question of how well the A’s and Cubs would match up in a trade, but certainly Shaw could be a great get for Sacroamenkland.

Of course with trade ideas the question is what a deal might look like, so one invitation to you is to fill in the blanks for a “Shaw for ______” or “Paredes for ______” deal.

I could go on but then you would have nothing to say, so let me pause and invite you both to comment on the above possibilities and also to suggest other realistic options the A’s might want to consider.

One thing is for sure: putting a good 3Bman out there would go a long way to making the 2025 A’s competitive.